October 11, 2005

Residence hall reunion one of a kind at Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A group of Purdue alumni will spend Homecoming celebrating the defining memories of their time in college at an unusual place this year – their residence hall.

Wiley Hall will welcome back almost 30 men who are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their time living in the residence hall, beginning with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 15) in the hall's east study room.

"I am not aware of another reunion like that has happened at Purdue," said Denton Sederquist, residential life manager at Wiley Hall. "It speaks volumes to the value and importance of residence halls in a student's college experience that they would choose Wiley as they place they wanted to come back to."

The 27 men and their spouses will have breakfast at Wiley Hall before the Homecoming football game, tour the facility to see changes and have dinner in the Ford Dining Court as a way to get a flavor of University Residences dining services' current revamping.

In the past, University Residences has held alumni events at Homecoming in conjunction with the anniversary of the opening of a hall where all former residents were invited back. Most Homecoming activities at Purdue focus on graduates' academic schools and departments or the year they graduated, not their residence hall.

"Residence halls are where students make many of their first connections to campus," Sederquist said. "They make lifelong friends with their roommates and neighbors and create great memories. I hope that more groups of alumni and friends will approach us about planning this type of reunion."

The reunion falls in line with efforts by University Residences to reach out to alumni and others. In addition to staying in communication with former residents and resident assistants, the office has developed plans to begin an advisory board made up of parents later this year.

Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu

Source: Denton Sederquist, (765) 494-2174, sederquist@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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